Thanks for the strong devil's advocate. I feel like this is ... going overkill? I pitched an idea and offered up something I thought would protect the community. I have no desire to patent or infringe on IP. I have no plans to start or create something the Space Bucket community doesn't want. Maybe I should have approached /u/Ekrof with a PM with questions rather than post to the group. Right now I feel like I've been attacked for simply pitching an idea and offering some ideas that would help the community.
To answer some of your specific questions:
How are you going to form a non-profit with a subreddit?
It's not a subreddit, it's an idea and it starts somewhere. I recently read the cannabis industry is the smallest it will ever be. You gotta start somewhere, right? If /r/SpaceBuckets doesn't want to start a non-profit and use it to protect IP around Space Buckets, then somewhere someone else will start it. If SB is to live long and prosper, then a non-profit is the foundation. SuperAngryGuy, I would love to discuss this point with you.
Regarding anonymity, in the US I think we're at a turning point where Cannabis is soon to become legal. While anonymity is currently an issue, I don't see it as a long-term issue. I live in Delaware, and while it's illegal to grow MJ here, I see no issues running a business or being on the board of a non-profit that supplies "buckets" because that's not the sole use-case of a space bucket.
I know patent law and keep a patent lawyer on retainer.
So do I, and if you're a small business owner like myself, you hate paying for attorneys. $450/hr sucks to pay. Again, my idea was a pitch.
Annual conferences? Shirts, stickers? No, it's a cheap controller for a 5 gallon bucket. I need to pull you back down to reality because you are slipping in to grandiosity. Ekrof has put a lot of time and energy to building up this community and I will protect him. Some guy stepping in and basically trying to take over isn't going to happen.
I spoke off the cuff, sorry about that. Please keep me in check, you should protect him. I will step back, I didn't mean to overstep my bounds. I tried to set a vision for what a spacebuckets nonprofit could be/do.
Sorry to shake up this community. I thought it was an interesting idea and worthy of discussion. For the record, I have no plans to pursue a space bucket idea.
Honestly, my intentions were sincere. Take care /r/SpaceBuckets.
--rj